An industrial power supply module includes a heatsinking structure, e.g., an extruded aluminum structure, comprising a plurality of walls joined to define a channel. first and circuit board assemblies comprising respective booster and dc/DC converter circuits are mounted to the heatsinking structure such that at least portions of the circuit board assemblies lie in the channel. first and second end caps are attached to the heatsinking structure at respective first and second ends of the channel. Environmental seals may be provided at the first and second ends of the channel. The booster circuit may be operative to produce a first dc voltage and the dc/DC converter circuit may be operative to produce a second dc voltage from the first dc voltage such that the second dc voltage is at least about ten times less than the first dc voltage.
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1. An industrial power supply module, comprising:
a booster circuit operative to produce a first dc voltage at an output port thereof from either of an ac input voltage or a dc input voltage at an input port thereof; a dc/DC converter circuit electrically coupled to the booster circuit and operative to produce a second dc voltage at an output port thereof from the first dc voltage such that the second dc voltage is at least about ten times less than the first dc voltage; and an enclosure that encloses portions of the booster circuit and the dc/DC converter circuit within an environmentally sealed volume, wherein the enclosure is thermally coupled to the booster circuit and the dc/DC converter circuit to provide heat transfer between the booster and dc/DC converter circuits and an external environment, and wherein the input port of the booster circuit and the output port of the dc/DC converter circuit are electrically accessible from outside of the sealed volume.
2. A power supply module according to
3. A power supply module according to
4. A power supply module according to
5. A power supply module according to
6. A power supply module according to
7. A power supply module according to
8. A power supply module according to
9. A power supply module according to
wherein the enclosure comprises: a heatsinking structure comprising a plurality of walls joined to define a channel; and first and second end caps attached to the heatsinking structure at respective first and second ends of the channel, the first and second end caps conforming to edges of the plurality of walls of the heatsinking structure such that the heatsinking structure and the first and second end caps enclose a volume; wherein the power supply module further comprises first and second circuit board assemblies including respective ones of the booster circuit and the dc/DC converter circuit, the first and second circuit board assemblies mounted to the heatsinking structure such that at least portions of the booster circuit and the dc/DC converter circuit are disposed within the enclosed volume; and wherein an electronic component of each of at least one of the booster circuit and the dc/DC converter circuit is thermally coupled to at least one wall of the heatsinking structure.
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This is a division of application Ser. No. 09/930,362 filed Aug. 15, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,535,409. The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/253,156, filed Nov. 27, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to power supplies, and more particularly, to power supplies for industrial and other harsh environments.
Industrial control applications, such as process control applications, often involve the use of distributed controllers, transducers and other devices. Many of these devices use low voltage DC power, e.g., 24 VDC power. Accordingly, in process control applications, such as those in a refinery or petrochemical plant, AC-powered, DC-output power supplies are often located near control equipment to provide low voltage DC power.
Many conventional process control systems use off-the-shelf DC power supplies. Although these supplies may be "ruggedized" to withstand high temperature and vibration levels, they may use open-frame designs with fan-forced cooling. Such open-frame designs may be vulnerable to damage in corrosive environments, and may be unacceptable for use in explosive environments. In addition, fan-cooled units may be vulnerable to fan failure or clogging due to accumulation of dust or other contaminants. Conventional power supply units may also exhibit less than desirable efficiency, which can, in turn, yield to more thermal stress and reduced reliability.
According to embodiments of the invention, an industrial power supply module includes a heatsinking structure, e.g., an extruded aluminum structure, including a plurality of walls joined to define a channel. A first circuit board assembly includes a booster circuit operative to receive an input voltage at an input port thereof and to produce a first DC voltage therefrom, and is mounted to the heatsinking structure such that at least a portion of the first circuit board assembly lies in the channel. A second circuit board assembly includes a DC/DC converter circuit electrically coupled to the booster circuit and operative to produce a second DC voltage at an output thereof from the first DC voltage produced by the booster circuit, and is mounted to the heatsinking structure such that at least a portion of the second circuit board assembly lies in the channel. First and second end caps are attached to the heatsinking structure at respective first and second ends of the channel, the first and second end caps and the walls of the heatsinking structure enclosing a volume including at least portions of the first and second circuit board assemblies therein.
The first circuit board assembly may be mounted to the heatsinking structure such that a surface of the first circuit board assembly conforms to the plurality of walls of the heatsinking structure at the first end of the channel to define a second enclosed volume within the first enclosed volume. The second circuit board assembly may be contained within the second enclosed volume. A first gasket may provide an environmental seal between the first circuit board assembly and the heatsinking structure at the first end of the channel, and a second gasket may provide an environmental seal between the second end cap and the heatsinking structure at the second end of the channel. In this manner, the second enclosed volume may be environmentally sealed. The module may further include a third circuit board assembly attached to the heatsinking structure outside of the sealed second enclosed volume. The third circuit board assembly may include a plurality of terminals that are electrically coupled to a portion of the first circuit board assembly extending outside of the sealed second enclosed volume.
According to other aspects of the invention, at least one of the first and second circuit board assemblies includes at least one electronic component disposed near a periphery of a corresponding at least one of the first and second circuit boards. The power supply module further includes a thermally conductive region that provides heat transfer between the at least one electronic component and an adjacent wall of the heatsinking structure. For example, the at least one heat-generating component may be a power transistor, and the thermally conductive region may be a ceramic insulator disposed between the power transistor and the adjacent wall of the heatsinking structure. The adjacent wall of the heatsinking structure may have a groove defined therein, and the power supply module may further include a retaining clip that engages the groove and compresses the transistor and the ceramic insulator against the adjacent wall of the heatsinking structure.
According to yet other aspects of the invention, an industrial power supply module includes a booster circuit operative to produce a first DC voltage at an output port thereof from either of an AC input voltage or a DC input voltage at an input port thereof. The module further includes a DC/DC converter circuit electrically coupled to the booster circuit and operative to produce a second DC voltage at an output port thereof from the first DC voltage such that the second DC is at least about ten times less than the first DC voltage. An enclosure encloses portions of the booster circuit and the DC/DC converter circuit within an environmentally sealed volume. The enclosure is thermally coupled to the booster circuit and the DC/DC converter circuit to provide heat transfer between the booster and DC/DC converter circuits and an external environment. The input port of the booster circuit and the output port of the DC/DC converter circuit are electrically accessible from outside of the sealed volume. The booster circuit may be operative to correct power factor at the input port.
The invention now will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which specific embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.
Portions of the boost circuit board assembly 31 and the DC/DC converter circuit board assembly 32 are contained within this enclosed volume. In particular, the booster circuit board assembly 31 is configured to be attached to the heatsinking structure 1 at a first end thereof by way of screws 11 or other fasteners that also secure the first end cap 3 to the heatsinking structure 1. The DC/DC converter circuit board assembly 32 is configured to attach to the heatsinking structure at a plurality of screw bosses 22 and screws 10, such that the DC/DC converter circuit board assembly 32 is disposed within the channel 20. Additional screws 11 secure the second end cap 4 to the heatsinking structure 1. First and second gaskets 2 seal the respective interfaces between the boost circuit board assembly 31 and the heatsinking structure 1, and between the second end cap 4 and the heatsinking structure, such that a sealed volume bordered by the walls 21 of the heatsinking structure 1, the boost circuit board assembly 31 and the second end cap 4 is provided. The sealed volume contains portions of the circuit board assemblies 31, 32. The volume enclosed by the heatsinking structure 1 and the end caps 3, 4 may be filled with alumina, silica or other inert material to adapt the module 100 for use in, for example, explosive environments. It will be appreciated that although gaskets 2 are illustrated in
One or more electronic components of the circuit board assemblies 31, 32, here a power transistor 33, is thermally coupled to an adjacent wall 21 of the heatsinking structure 1 via a ceramic insulator 5 that compressively attaches the power transistor 33 to the wall 21 of the heatsinking structure. The module 100 also includes a Nomex® insulator 7 that provides electrical isolation between the boost circuit board assembly 31 and the first end cap 3. The module 100 further includes a DIN (Deutsche Industrie-Norm) rail mounting adaptor 9 and a mounting plate 8 that are attached to the heatsinking structure 1. The DIN rail-mounting adaptor 9 provides means for attaching the power supply module to an industry-standard DIN mounting rail, while the mounting plate provides means for mounting the module 100 in, for example, an industrial equipment rack. It will be appreciate that other attachment structures may be used with the invention including.
The module 100 further includes a connection circuit board assembly 34 configured to mount in a second, open channel 27, defined by the walls 21 of the heatsinking structure 1 and disposed generally parallel to the other channel 20. The connection circuit board assembly 34 includes a plurality of terminals, including input terminals 35 for receiving either an AC or DC input voltage that is applied to an input port of a boost circuit of the boost circuit board assembly 31. Output terminals 36, coupled to an output port of a DC/DC converter circuit of the DC/DC converter circuit board assembly 32, provide a DC voltage produced by the DC/DC converter circuit board assembly to an externally connected load (not shown). It will be appreciated that the terminals 35, 36 may include screw-type terminals, compression terminals, connector pins/sockets, or other types of electrical connection means.
The booster circuit board assembly 31 includes a portion 31a that is configured to extend outside of the sealed volume defined by the boost circuit board assembly 31, the heatsinking structure, the second end cap 3 and the gaskets 2, wherein is provided terminals, e.g., screw terminals, connector pin/sockets, or solder junctions for running wires or other conductors between the booster circuit board assembly 31 and the connection circuit board assembly 34. It will be appreciated that other structures for providing external connection to the booster circuit board assembly 31 and or the DC/DC converter circuit board assembly 32 may be used with the invention, such as pigtails and/or connectors that attach to the booster circuit board assembly 31.
As shown in
The input rectifier circuit VR is operative to convert alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). The transistor Q1 is used as an electronic switch, and is cycled "on" (conducting) and "off" by the control circuit 310. While the transistor Q1 "on", the boost inductor L1 current increases. When the transistor Q1 is turned "off", the boost inductor L1 delivers current to the capacitor C1 through the diode D1. Current in the boost inductor L1 typically does not fall to zero during each switching cycle, which is why the circuit is referred to a operating in a "continuous current mode."
The transistor Q1 may be pulse-width-modulated so that the input impedance of the boost converter circuit 300 appears substantially purely resistive, and the ratio of peak to average input current may be kept low. A potentially cost-effective way of reducing losses in the circuit is by choosing a suitable diode D1 for the application. Diodes for use in power factor correction circuits typically have higher forward voltages than conventional ultrafast epitaxial diodes, but much shorter (faster) reverse recovery times. Typically, a substantially constant 380 VDC is produced at the output port 302 by using a switching frequency of about 100 Khz. As shown, the control circuit 310 may also provide over current detection and control using a sense resistor RS (or other current sensing element) coupled to the transistor Q1 and the control circuit 310. For example, if current in the transistor Q1 exceeds a predetermined peak value, the control circuit 310 may shut down the transistor Q1 for one or more pulse cycles to reduce or prevent damage.
As shown in
A control circuit 410 controls operations of the transistors Q2, Q3 responsive to the output voltage VDC2 at the output port 402. The control circuit 410 may include, for example, a UC 2845 Current Mode PWM Controller as described in a data sheet entitled "UC 1842/3/4/5 Current Mode PWM Controller," published by Unitrode Corporation (1997). The two transistors Q2, Q3 may be used to push/pull either side of primary of the transformer. In particular, the transistors Q2, Q3 may be driven by the control circuit 410 with a current mode controlled variable duty cycle. The control circuit 410 may also provide overcurrent detection and control using a current transformer coupled to the transistors Q2, Q3.
Referring now to
The high output voltage boost circuit 300 of
The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.
Pagella, James, Porter, John Meldrum, Karol, Gregory M., Deurse, Ludi Van
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